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Dr Chris Stephens (aka my pastor) is hosting the Lit Conference 2010 on April 29th specifically geared for church leadership.  A day full of interaction with these outstanding leaders… Pat Summit, Pete Wilson, Johnny Hunt and Chris Stephens.  Only 250 will attend.  You don’t want to miss this.

You are one of the chosen, the called, to lead the church. But if you’re like most ministry leaders, you feel isolated and inadequate for such an overwhelming task. The LIT Conference was created to equip and encourage the called. We want to provide you with resources and relationships that will help you make a greater impact for the Kingdom of God.

LIT2010 is an intimate gathering of only 250 church leaders and their teams. We limited the size so we could give you the best possible care and attention. As you hear from compelling leaders like Chris Stephens, Pat Summit, Pete Wilson and Johnny Hunt, you’ll have the chance to interact with other leaders in the same stage of ministry.

You’ll walk away with resources, insights, and relationships that will take you to the next level of ministry. Our passion is to build you up and prepare you for a great season of ministry ahead. We want this to be a rekindling experience. We want you to get lit.

Here’s more…

Welcome to LIT from Kaleo Ministries on Vimeo.

I got a leadership lesson yesterday.  One I’ll keep in my back pocket for a while.

Yesterday morning was a little frustrating.  Trying to make heads or tails of the sound/video equipment in my elementary space, I was stopped dead in my tracks because one piece of equipment would not work.  (User error, I confess… but that’s another story.)

The pressure of all the things I want to take on is mounting.  Only 3 weeks into this gig at Faith Promise and there are many things I want to dive into.  But there is only so much time in the day.

My boss, Chuck Carringer, stopped by my office later that day.  He held an apple in his hand.

Chuck:  Here, I want you to eat this in one bite.

Me:  That’s impossible.

Chuck:  Exactly.  You can’t eat an apple in a single bite.

Me:  Then where would you start eating it?

Chuck:  That’s the leadership question for you.  You want to take the most strategic bite you can take.

Me:  But I want the apple eaten yesterday.

Though I’ve never heard the apple analogy before, the leadership lesson is not unfamiliar.  I can’t do everything at one time.  I need to find the most strategic areas on which to focus.

If I attempt to eat the apple all at once I’ll gag.  And no one wants me vomiting on them.  Taking on too many things creates a stress and pressure that evoke an eruption.  Verbal, emotional vomit.

Nobody wants that.  Especially me.

So I’m stepping back and examining the apple.  Looking for the best bite to take.

Communication is critical.

Good communication is clear, simple and concise.

Communication is not restricted to verbal exchange.  We all know that communication is a series of verbal & physical cues.  But people are not the only things that communicate.  Physical space communicates, as well.

In the kidmin world, physical space communicates more than you realize.

• It speaks to kids… setting the tone for the kind of experience they’ll have.
• It speaks to parents… defining the level of care their child will receive.
• It speaks to volunteers… the expectation you have of their investment.

A clean, organized, crisp environment sets the tone for kids, parents and volunteers.  It plays a significant role in keeping the bar high.

Never underestimate the impact of your physical environment.

The pic above comes from Grace Fellowship Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  You can find a list of ‘must see’ kidmin environments at ColdWaterCafe.  The list is a few years old, but still worth the look.